Patteri ES Community Meet-Up (Paja) Hosted at Kouvola Campus

Vol 29, Issue 02, 18 September 2026

On Tuesday, September 15, the Patteri community organized a meet-up for newly arrived students at Xamk, introducing the purpose of the community and the events it hosts. They highlighted who can participate and how students can even organize their own events.

So, what is Patteri? It is a student society that connects like-minded people who share an enthusiasm for entrepreneurship. Patteri operates across four main campuses: Kotka, Mikkeli, Kouvola, and Savonlinna.

What is it about? It is open to anyone looking for business ideas, seeking hands-on experience, or simply wanting to surround themselves with curious, business-minded peers.

Who are the board members? The event was attended by Pyry Tarkka (Chairperson), Srishti Jain (Vice Chairperson), May Kyaw (Head of Membership), and Sarika Adhikari (Head of Events). Everyone was welcoming and made sure attendees felt comfortable right from the start.

How did the event go? The meet-up started with food and drinks. The hosts provided a variety of snacks—including protein bars, wafers, popcorn, and biscuits—along with juices and soft drinks like Coca-Cola. The main highlight was the pizza, with several options available, including vegetarian choices. Everyone enjoyed the refreshments while chatting and meeting new people.

The Head of Patteri was exceptionally sweet, making popcorn for everyone despite her eyes being irritated by the machine—a strong lady indeed! Saarika, the Head of Events, was also wonderfully polite and helpful throughout.

Once everyone had eaten and taken their seats, the main presentation began:

Introduction: Pyry answered basic questions about Patteri—explaining its purpose, how it operates, and when events take place. He was joined by Sabina Akhmetova, Head of Operations.

Takomo Startup BootCamp: They shared details about this upcoming 2-day event, inviting students to build business ideas in teams with one-on-one mentoring, followed by an evening to chill out in the sauna.  Day 2 will include final mentoring sessions, pitch practice, and pitch competitions. Attendees were attentive and motivated. The team provided a QR code and encouraged everyone to sign up for their newsletter.

*ship (Starship): They presented *ship, a 2-day startup festival held annually since 2015. It brings together startups, investors, mentors, and entrepreneurially minded people to network and explore new concepts. Over the years, it has hosted 1,000 startups and 150 mentors.

Patteri ES & Joes Tallinn Startup Trip: Students were invited on a 4-day trip featuring company visits, giving participants direct access to founders for real business insights. The trip costs €100 (payable by October 1), and the registration deadline is September 22. Exact timings can be requested from the project manager.

Upcoming Events:

A workshop titled “Build Smarter with AI” on September 22 at the Kouvola Campus.

An interactive session called “SpeakSpace”, founded by Xamk student Ahnaaf Sharier (the events dates to be announced soon). Ahnaaf created SpeakSpace to help students overcome stage fear and develop public speaking skills in a supportive, judgment-free environment. Both events can be joined via Luma.

Who can join Patteri? Anyone can join Patteri ES—whether as a visitor, an entrepreneur, or a doer, depending on what suits you best. You can connect with them on WhatsApp, Instagram, and their website. The main operational office of Patteri is in Paja where students go and have an in person conversation.

To close out the evening, a founder introduced AinoClub, an e-learning platform where students can study chosen subjects like languages, mathematics, and science. The organizers concluded by asking attendees for feedback to help improve future events.

 In my opinion, anyone interested in startups in any form should attend these events. It is especially useful for Business Administration students, who can gain deep insights into the corporate world and connect directly with founders who can guide their future career goals—whether that means joining big tech companies or launching their own ventures.

Thank you for reading! I hope you learned something valuable, and comments are always welcome!